An Australian company offered billions to buy the largest producer of potash in the world -- a deal that the Canadian company declined. Why fertilizer? With growing middle classes in populous countries like India and China, fertilizer to grow all the food in those countries will soon be big business.

The Los Angeles Times will be releasing rankings of 6,000 school teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Many agree that the American education system needs revamping, but many also find the rankings unfair.

Fannie and Freddie have significantly improved their practices since the government took over the then-dysfunctional mortgage lenders two years ago. So much so, that 90 percent of mortgages now carry some sort of government insurance. Now some are calling for reeling Fannie and Freddie in.